HAYWARD – The Chico State women’s basketball team’s postseason aspirations took a huge hit Thursday, as Cal State East Bay – winners of just two games all season – rolled out its biggest offensive night of the 2010-11 campaign and handed the Wildcats a devastating road defeat. The Pioneers, who never trailed in the contest, withstood a furious 3-point barrage by the ’Cats in the second half to come away with a 74-69 victory at Pioneer Gymnasium in Hayward.
The loss, Chico State’s second straight, dropped the Wildcats to 14-7 on the season and 11-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). More importantly, the Wildcats, which began the week ranked No. 8 in the West Region, will have to rely on an extremely strong finish if they are to conclude the season among the top eight schools and earn a spot in next month’s NCAA Championship Tournament. With Thursday’s win, Cal State East Bay improved to 3-18 overall and 3-14 in conference play.
Molly Collins almost single-handedly kept the Wildcats in the game down the stretch, finishing with a career-high 19 points. Katie Girten started her first game of the season and drained three 3-pointers to post 14 points; Taylor Lydon nailed a pair of treys to finish with eight points for the ’Cats, while Courtney Harrison hit two 3-pointers en route to a six-point, five rebound night. Kristina Lin had the hot hand for Cal State East Bay, knocking down six 3-pointers to lead all scorers with 20 points; Sarah Finlay had 13 points for the Pioneers and Marlene MacMillan contributed eight points and 12 rebounds.
Cal State East Bay was hot early, getting the jump on the visiting Wildcats by streaking to a quick 6-0 lead. A Pauline Ferrall layup and 3-pointers by Girten and Lydon pulled Chico State to within 9-8, but the Pioneers answered by scoring 13 of the next 19 points to go up 22-14. The Wildcat defense kept East Bay in check for several minutes as the offense chipped away at the deficit – a Harrison 3-pointer highlighted an 8-0 run to knot up the score at 22 apiece. The Pioneers went back up by four, and after a Collins jumper made the score 28-26, the Pioneers closed out the half on a 7-2 run to go into intermission with a 35-28 lead.
The Wildcats got off to another slow start in the second half, making only two shots – both by Collins – in the first seven minutes of the period as Cal State East Bay took a commanding 49-37 lead. The Pioneers were still up by 11 when the 3-pointers started flying with abandon – Girten and Jazmine Miller connected from behind the arc for Chico State, but each time it was matched by a 3-pointer by Lin, as East Bay maintained their advantage at 60-49. Chico State continued to sizzle from long range, as 3-pointers by Girten, Lydon and Harrison triggered an 11-0 Wildcat run, and with 7:30 to play, the game was tied at 60 apiece. East Bay didn’t fold, though, scoring nine of the next 11 points to go back in front 69-62. Collins hit a free throw and a long 3-pointer with 2:05 to go to make it a 69-66 ballgame, and then after the Pioneers pushed its lead back to six, Collins connected again from downtown to bring the ’Cats to within 72-69 with 55 seconds remaining. The Wildcats promptly forced an East Bay turnover and had a chance to tie as the clock ran down, but 3-point attempts by Collins and Miller were off the mark, and two subsequent free throws by Finlay iced the game for the Pioneers, finishing the 74-69 upset of Chico State.
BOX SCORE
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday, traveling to La Jolla to face UC San Diego. The Tritons are currently one of the CCAA’s hottest teams, having won five straight and 11 of their last 13, including a 76-68 victory Thursday over Cal State Stanislaus. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.; the game will be broadcast live on ESPN 101.7 and 1340 AM locally and through the Wildcat Athletics website.
